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The seventh annual Global 100 report spotlights the best mortgage leaders worldwide. This formidable list of talented professions was compiled by Mortgage Professional America and its sister publications, Canadian Mortgage Professional, Mortgage Introducer, Mortgage Professional Australia, and NZ Adviser. The teams collectively deal with thousands of mortgage professionals throughout the year, and this unrivalled insight was leveraged to reduce the industry’s high achievers to just 100.
While each domestic market has its own challenges and trends, some common factors have played a part in 2025.
Financial industry expert Magistral Consulting’s CEO, Prabhash Choudhary, highlights some:
rise of non-banking players – these enterprises have claimed substantial market share and are expected to become even stronger.
AI – the move to increasingly automate workflows and understand how AI could help improve response times.
offshoring – heightened focus on offshoring certain processes to lower-cost countries like India and the Philippines, where the work can be automated.
novel offerings – many new products are being launched; for example, one of Choudhary’s clients gives mortgages for financing legal cases and takes a share of any settlement.
Due to the industry landscape being more volatile compared to five years ago, with interest rate swings, regulatory tightening, and digital tech progress, Choudhary feels the best mortgage leaders can’t rely on intuition alone now.
“They bring together the numbers and people,” he says. “On the people front, they lead internally and externally with empathy, and on the numbers, they take calculated risks to ensure long-term stability and profitability. These are the characteristics of an individual who is a great leader within his or her ecosystem.”
Key to standing out and making an impact, according to Choudhary, is innovation. This is what he sees as a difference maker.
He says, “Faster response times and better-quality responses are key. Overall, customer experience, driven by technology, offers the greatest scope for innovation. But what will separate the winners from the others is how well they align culture, people, and tech to deliver great experiences.”
“Mortgage lenders experienced growth in originations – new mortgages for property purchases, refinances, or when borrowers switch lenders – in the first half of 2025 compared to the first half of 2024,” according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. According to its Residential Mortgage Industry Report Fall 2025 Edition, the Big Six banks and credit unions increased their market share of originated mortgages over the past year to 59 percent and 18 percent, respectively. This growth was partly driven by a series of lender acquisitions. Other chartered banks and non-banks saw their market shares decline.
Agreed, sales volumes rose again in October 2025 (6.2 percent higher than the same month in 2024), the 28th increase in the past 30 months, after the cyclical lulls of 2022 and early 2023, as stated by Cotality.
Other insights from their Housing Chart Pack data (November 2025):
Household mortgage costs are now roughly $550 per month lower than a year ago, thanks to falling mortgage rates and easing test conditions.
National property values have slipped just 0.2 percent year on year, marking the shallowest decline since 2022.
Sales volumes have risen in 27 of the past 29 months, a clear sign of sustained momentum.
Investors are returning, now making up 35.2 percent of total purchases among multiple property owners (24.4 percent with a mortgage, plus a further 10.8 percent with cash only).
First home buyers (FHBs) are still a strong presence in the property market, accounting for 29.0 percent of purchases in October – another new record high for a single month.
Broker domination is a standout metric of the 2025 market. The Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia estimates they make up nearly 77.6 percent of new home loans, a significant rise from 67.2 percent back in 2023.
While the UK metric is higher at 84 percent, in Canada, it ranges between 40 percent and 45 percent.
However, this may be set to change. “A lot of the conversations Australian banks are having are about whether it’s time to look away from mortgage brokers in a higher-cost, lower-rate environment,” says Barry Trubridge, PwC’s Australian financial services leader. “Banks see better returns and stronger customer ties through proprietary channels, without paying commissions.”
FitchRatings reports that the volume of mortgages with a loan-to-value (LTV) of more than 90 percent remains very low in absolute terms, as UK lenders have generally been cautious in lending at 90 percent LTV and above since the global financial crisis. The increase in new mortgage lending at higher LTV ratios is a response to stabilized interest rates and rising property prices. The interest rate premium over lower LTV loans has narrowed to around 90 bp, a spread not seen since before the global financial crisis, further incentivizing uptake. FTB loans reached an average LTV of 77.3 percent in 2024, the highest level in the past 15 years.
The $600.4 billion in total dollar volume represented a 3.1 percent decrease from Q2 2025 but a 3.1 percent increase from the same time last year. Purchase loans declined quarter over quarter and year over year, while refinance loans and HELOCs edged higher on both a quarterly and annual basis.
“Mortgage activity eased back a touch from the spring pickup, but it’s still running slightly ahead of last year,” says Rob Barber, CEO at ATTOM. “The modest lift in refinance and HELOC activity suggests some homeowners are taking advantage of small rate improvements and tapping equity, while purchase activity remains constrained by affordability. Taken together, Q3 looks like a market treading water rather than turning a corner.”
As the CEO of one of Canada’s fastest-growing non-bank financial services companies, Bryan Jaskolka’s biggest problem is a good one.
That challenge is ensuring the business has enough funds to meet the demand for private financing. And to that end, Jaskolka is continuously raising additional capital with individual and institutional investors to lend out.
“As we work to balance the supply and demand of capital, we need to scale our team and maintain rigorous due diligence to ensure every mortgage meets our high standards, even during periods of unprecedented application volume,” he explains. “I address this by combining strategic planning, strong investor partnerships, and a focus on building a capable, responsive team to sustain growth without compromising quality.”
Jaskolka’s prowess has seen CMI grow from a two-person operation to now having over 125 employees and more than $1 billion in assets under management.
He says, “By reimagining how the private mortgage market operates, we’ve created a trusted, technology-driven platform that connects investors seeking compelling fixed income alternatives with borrowers in need of flexible financing.”
Guiding one of the country’s leading mortgage aggregators has seen Simon Bednar contend with the demands of expansion and success.
He says, “The growth of our company is exponential, but with expansion can come growing pains. As we continue to diversify our service offering, increase our staff numbers, and explore new territories, ensuring that we remain true to our values and deliver the highest quality of support is paramount.”
The vision that drives him is ensuring brokers receive a collaborative relationship. Brokers are provided with the best of service and extensive professional development, while he personally takes their feedback on board to improve Finsure’s operations.
The firm’s success is a complete team effort, something Bednar has instilled and resolutely maintains. “I like to give my team the freedom to succeed. I am surrounded by incredibly talented individuals, and my focus is on providing an environment that nurtures their skills while allowing them to take risks to propel Finsure forward,” he says.
While having made a big impact in their domestic market, Finsure has now launched in New Zealand, but that is only the first step of Bednar’s global ambitions. He adds, “We’re constantly looking for aligned industries around the world. I’m confident that the unique service that Finsure provides our brokers would be valued in countries that have a similar mortgage broking industry.”
Being relentless is a major factor in why Peter White, AM is serially recognized for his influence and outstanding reputation across the mortgage sector.
As the Finance Brokers Association of Australasia (FBAA)’s managing director, he has driven the organization forward, and it’s not by chance that the broker share of the market in Australia continues to rise. “I have never wavered from my beliefs and affirmation and commitment to this industry, even when things don’t go to plan, things happen, and we need to deal with it and ‘fall forward,’ and I keep pushing through,” White says.
However, determination is only part of the equation that sees White ascend to the highest levels. His tenure is unrivalled, as 2026 will be his 47th year in the financial industry. He says, “My depth of knowledge and experience is unmatched by the majority of people in our industry, but equally unrivalled is my position of genuinely caring for our industry.”
Even with so many miles on the clock, White is not slowing down. He’s leading the FBAA’s continued expansion into New Zealand and also advocating for greater awareness of the mental health challenges that brokers face.
“I am navigating new forward planning protocols and taking our team on this new journey of innovation and growth plans,” he says. “I believe in strong open communication and working together as a team to achieve all that was planned, and we’ve delivered great outcomes and now have a solid future set for 2026.”
And over the course of the last year, White has kept learning, which again points to another reason for his longevity, as he still seeks new solutions and ways to improve. He says, “This year has taught me to never underestimate the strength of your team and to believe in their ability to rise to the occasion without fear or trepidation of what needs to be done to achieve what is necessary.”
In addition, White is the chairman of the Global Board of Governors for the International Federation of Mortgage Brokers (IMBF), a collaboration of six countries. It is the first and only federation dedicated to advancing best practices for brokers worldwide and demonstrating to governments that there is a global community working together.
Building and continuing to successfully lead one of Ontario’s largest self-funded alternative mortgage lending companies as founder and CEO has been no easy feat for Rajan Kaushal.
“My guiding principle has always been to offer mortgages that benefit our customers, provide exceptional service, and deliver results to our broker partners and customers,” he says.
Tribecca has a suite of products that enable people to achieve the dream of home ownership. They also support business owners with funding to help seize opportunities.
Kaushal attributes his success to previously being a broker, so he is acutely aware of the demands they face. “It allowed me to understand the needs and expectations of customers and what’s most important to mortgage brokers,” he explains. “This knowledge has guided our team in servicing our broker partners and strengthening the relationships. We know providing exceptional service and delivering results to our partners is a big part of our success.”
The biggest challenge of the last year has been lending in a market with declining real estate values. Kaushal has navigated this by being prudent by tightening some of Tribecca’s policies.
He says, “We also look at the appraisals closely. With slower sales activity, there may be some dated comparables, and in these cases, we ensure an appropriate time adjustment has been made when reviewing the appraised value.”
After hitting three decades in the mortgage industry, he remains motivated to keep delivering, just like he has done over the past year. He says, “I have a strong work ethic and worked an average of 70-hour workweeks during my first 18 years in business. Even now, I still have the same entrepreneurial spirit I did when I started my paper route at the age of 11.”
Expertise and discipline have also been crucial in Kasuhal’s success in weathering 2025’s fluctuations. “If you are too aggressive in a favorable market and the environment changes, your portfolio will be tested, and you could be overly exposed,” he says.
Staying connected and responsive to brokers is in Thinktank’s DNA and a big focus for Belinda Wright.
She proactively continues to refine the firm’s offering. However, over the past 12 months, there’s been an increasingly competitive environment across both residential and lending markets, with more active lenders than before.
“Broker expectations have been shifting quickly as volumes have picked up rapidly, new product and policy options continually emerge, turnaround times come under pressure, and lenders increasingly fight for the same opportunities,” explains Wright. “Balancing these evolving market dynamics with our own record growth, including the re-scaling of our sales and distribution team, has meant having to stay laser focused on service, consistency, and simplifying the broker experience wherever we can.”
Wright has helmed a three-point approach for Thinktank:
strengthening broker relationships
focusing on internal alignment
removing friction through digital uplift and process clarity
She has led the team to double down on delivering clear and efficient broker communication, ensuring they remain transparent about credit settings and provide brokers with quality guidance early, particularly when deals are complex or do not quite fit within Thinktank’s appetite.
Wright adds, “We have focused intently on alignment of credit and sales collaboration. With a varying credit lens across the industry, it is critical that we are aligned early to avoid disappointment, minimize rework, promote consistent turnaround times, and maintain confidence at high levels with all of our origination partners.”
Additionally, she has advocated for continuing to invest significantly in digital tools, including enhanced calculators, digital forms, and data-led insights to help the firm’s BDMs prioritize opportunities and improve responsiveness in a relentlessly competitive environment.
A major takeaway from the year for Wright has been that dependable service and trust still represent the greatest competitive advantage. She says, “The teams and businesses that succeed are those that stay close to their partners, act on quality data, collaborate widely, and commit to removing inefficiency.”
It's been a demanding year of managing competing deadlines for the head of channel engagement, who cites data and segmentation as essential for relevance and ROI.
The intensity is magnified with Barclays’ place as one of the biggest British banks. Carter juggled delivering award-winning campaigns, brand new events and driving digital innovation - all during a period of heightened expectations from stakeholders.
To handle the demands, Carter adopted a multi-pronged strategy:
Integrated planning: Delivered the 360° Intermediary Experience Strategy, aligning email, social, podcasts and events into one cohesive programme.
Data-driven decisions: Introduced real-time dashboards and persona-based segmentation to prioritise resources and personalise engagement.
Stakeholder engagement: Built strong relationships internally and externally, securing partnerships to amplify reach.
Creative innovation: Launched LinkedIn advocacy for BDMs and managed the launch of Barclays new live podcast event with financial leaders and Phil Spencer for Mortgage Insider.
Commercial acumen: Enabled delivery of campaigns that exceeded industry benchmarks.
Along with acknowledging adaptability is critical, Carter believes that relationships drive results with strong partnerships accelerating approvals and unlocking opportunities.
Carter has taken on a serious of climbing challenges over the years, such as advanced Base Camp on Everest, Kilimanjaro and the Great Wall of China.
"These experiences are more than personal milestones; they shape how I lead. They remind me that potential thrives when pathways are clear and the gate is open," says Carter. "In my role, that translates into practical decisions: clarity over complexity, removing friction so progress is faster, and championing inclusion so talent doesn’t get lost between promise and opportunity.”
While those on the Global 100 list have all excelled professionally, they have their own personal journeys. Below, they share experiences, challenging times, and life events that have spurred them on and led them to where they are now. What’s clear is that they are fully formed individuals who have grown and developed throughout their careers.
Jaskolka nearly lost his life during a boating accident, which occurred during his third year of university. While confined to bed recovering from his extensive injuries, he was unable to continue his studies. But he turned a huge setback at the age of 22 into a pivotal moment, ultimately starting CMI with $1,000 in the basement of his family home.
“I had time to think and test out some of my business ideas,” he says. “At that time, the mortgage industry was a technology laggard, a brick-and-mortar business characterized by cumbersome manual processes and paper-heavy transactions. I saw an opportunity to disrupt and modernize the industry by building a predominantly online mortgage brokerage.”
White always planned to soar high, just not in the mortgage industry. His dream was to become a commercial pilot, but he had to undergo a risky back operation. There was a 70 percent chance that he would be confined to a wheelchair for life. That forced him to think about a new path forward, and he seized upon a role in banking. White’s foresight and ability to understand what brokers need enabled him to enter and flourish in the mortgage market. He says, “The rest is history.”
Bednar is one of the mortgage leading lights but credits that to pursuing an unorthodox path. He has a degree in engineering and then worked in a senior role for a software provider, along with having experience in sales and business consultancy.
“I wouldn’t say my career has been typical of someone in my position,” he says. “And while there doesn’t seem to be an obvious link between being an engineer and being the group CEO of a financial group, I would say my insatiable curiosity to understand how things work and then my desire to build things are traits that are applicable in both fields.”
Kaushal continues to honor the memory of his brother Shayam, who sadly passed away from cancer at age 40. Shayam was a mortgage broker and one of the CMBA’s original directors and was passionate about education and industry development. That prompted Kaushal to keep building Tribecca and also create The Shayam Kaushal Foundation in his honor. So far, it has raised over $250,000 toward worthy charitable causes. He says, “Shayam was always willing to help people in the industry by sharing what he learned.”
Wright is driven on and inspired by the fearless and strong young women in her personal and professional life, who she describes as “incredible.” However, the one person who motivates her above all is her daughter. “She never ceases to amaze me with her strength, intelligence, and boundless curiosity,” says Wright. “Watching her grow and chase her dreams reminds me that the future is bright and full of endless possibilities.”
Carter is motivated by stepdaughter Jamie; they unusually only have a 10-year age gap. Taking care of Jamie, who moved from Johannesburg to London, has reframed what support means for Carter. It was especially poignant around her stepdaughter’s first steps into work. “I’d only recently been through those stages myself, so I could demonstrate the how, not just describe the what."
Now Jamie is an award-winning journalist and the journey has seen Carter reframe certain priorities. "It’s why I care so much about inclusion, about reducing friction in systems, and about creating channels that are genuinely accessible," she explains.
The Global 100 report shines a spotlight on outstanding professionals who are making a positive difference and helping drive change across the industry.
Now in its seventh year, this formidable list of the biggest names in the mortgage industry was put together by Mortgage Professional America and its sister publications, Canadian Mortgage Professional, Mortgage Introducer, Mortgage Professional Australia, and NZ Adviser, leveraging its unique position as a true global publication reaching five different markets – the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
The team collectively deals with hundreds, if not thousands, of mortgage professionals throughout the year for its daily newsletters, special reports and surveys, industry awards, and events. This range makes the team well-placed to tackle the intimidating task of whittling down the industry’s high achievers to just 100.
The leaders featured in this year’s Global 100 have been recognized for their exceptional dedication to their organizations and their people over the past 12 months. This distinguished list brings together both well-known figures and emerging leaders who are driving meaningful progress – elevating their companies, strengthening associations, advancing industry knowledge, and championing key issues that will shape the sector’s future.